First Desires (1983)

tentative romances, voyeuristic detours and hints of same-sex attraction, but Hamilton keeps circling back to Caroline’s fascination with an older married man who seems only too willing to encourage it. A sudden tragedy changes the temperature of the story and pushes Caroline’s fantasy toward uncomfortable reality, although the film remains more interested in longing than consequences. David Hamilton directs as a photographer first and storyteller a distant second: faces glow, bodies drift through gauze, and every bedroom appears permanently lit by late-afternoon sun. The plotting is thin, the dialogue can be wooden and several emotional turns are wildly implausible, yet the dreamy imagery and Philippe Sarde’s wistful music occasionally create a genuine ache—the melancholy sense of a summer in which innocence quietly packs its bags and leaves.

This is early-1980s European erotic cinema in its natural habitat: affluent villas, sailboats, deserted coves, loose robes, grand pianos and young people apparently untroubled by jobs, parents or suntan lotion. The island is presented as a secluded corner of the Mediterranean off southern France, photographed through Hamilton’s trademark misty filters until sea, sky and skin merge into one pastel daydream. Rocky beaches, wind-blown grass, pale interiors and the elegant coastal mansion supply most of the scenic pleasure. The vibe is less steamy thriller than soft-focus holiday reverie—slow, languid, faintly ridiculous and shamelessly devoted to beautiful people lounging beautifully. If you need tight plotting, stay on the mainland; if you can surrender to a feature-length perfume advert with a darker emotional undertow, the trip has its charms.

Monica Broeke carries the film as Caroline with a dreamy, wide-eyed sensuality that suits Hamilton’s camera better than the heavier dramatic moments. Anja Schüte brings playful warmth, while a very young Emmanuelle Béart already possesses that unmistakable combination of innocent face, feline confidence and effortless French allure. The acting ranges from natural to mannequin-stiff, but physical presence is plainly the real casting requirement, and the women meet it handsomely. Explicitness remains firmly softcore: frequent topless and full-frontal nudity, lingering mirror shots, naked swimming, teasing caresses and simulated lovemaking, all filmed with more gauze than gynecology.

Friend: So what’s this movie all about?

Me: Not sure man…

Friend: What’s the story?

Me: No clue man…

Friend: then why watch it?

Me: It’s a David Hamilton Film…

Friend: So???

Me: There are Gorgeous Pretty Young French Girls in various stages of nudity throughout, Exotic pristine beaches, Breathtakingly Beautiful sceneries, Soothing classical piano music, and Anja Schüte…

Friend: Say No More!! 😛😍😉

Three teenage girls decide to visit a romantic island and find love. They get shipwrecked and end up on different sides of the island. Each girl begins her own romantic adventure either with a man, a boy or even another girl.